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Saturday, 24 August 2013

How A Cancer Social Network Can Help Patients Cope

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By Helga Stokes


There are many diseases that are life threatening but few diagnoses put as much fear into people as cancer. Modern medicine has enabled specialists to implement better treatment programs and patients have a better chance of survival than ever before. Many people diagnosed with this dread disease despair, however, believing that there is no hope. Membership of a cancer social network can do much to help patients cope and even get better.

A diagnosis can prompt a patient into becoming an entire different person. Many people develop serious depression and others become asocial and uncommunicative. In certain cases psychological problems may even lead to suicidal thoughts because patients simply do not want to think about pain, treatment and death. Patients often feel as if they are alone and isolated. They find it difficult to seek help and they often see no point in continuing their lives.

If patients do not receive support they are in great danger of isolation and even of alienating their friends and family. Many people simply do not know how to treat such patients and they are sometimes even scared of contracting the disease themselves. With proper support patients will be able to live life to the fullest, to adapt to changed circumstances and to maintain the relationships they enjoy with others.

Support groups consist mainly of people that suffer from similar conditions. They are often best able to provide support and advice because they are intimately knowledgeable about the various phases of the disease, the side effects from treatment programs and the emotions experienced by other patients. Many patients find it easier to communicate with others in the same position and they are more likely to ask advice from other sufferers.

Some support groups enjoy the services of both medical and psychological professionals that are able to provide accurate information and professional advice. Many groups publish authoritative reports and they provide members with links that are relevant to specific types of the disease. Many members feel better able to cope simply because they have this lifeline and because they are able to interact with patients and professionals.

The internet offers a rich variety of support groups and they are easy to find by using a search engine. It is important to read the terms and conditions inherent in membership. It is also advisable to find out exactly what the scope of the support on offer is. Some groups are littler more than online discussion groups and others are run by people believing in specific therapies and alternative treatment methods.

Many patients join too many groups and they do not enjoy the full benefits of membership. This is because they are involved in too many groups. It is better to join a few and gradually whittle them down to one or two that proved to satisfy the unique needs of the patient.

A cancer social network can play a very important role on helping patients understand their condition and to cope with it. It can help patients to escape their negative emotions and to become involved with others that are suffering. Support groups can help people improve the quality of their lives.




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